A heart pump, such as a percutaneous intracardiac heart pump assembly, can be introduced in the heart to deliver blood from the heart into an artery. When deployed in the heart, a heart pump assembly pulls blood from the left ventricle and expels the blood into the aorta, or pulls blood from the right ventricle and expels blood into the pulmonary artery. Some heart pump assemblies pull blood through inflow apertures into a cannula and expel the blood from the cannula through outflow apertures.
Inflow apertures are traditionally formed of stainless-steel. They may include edges that can damage the blood as it enters the cannula, causing hemolysis. Furthermore, stainless steel portions are stiff and can be damaged by applied stresses, for example, during manufacturing, shipment, and/or when the device is being inserted into the body. During insertion, for example, the heart pump can be inadvertently damaged by the user grasping the sides of the inflow cage near the inflow apertures, deforming the cage. Accordingly, there is an opportunity for improved cannula designs.